While the fried rice is relatively straight-foward side dish to almost any Asian-inspired meal, such as these potstickers, it is not sufficiently balanced to eat without some kind of sauce. Fortunately, I had a scallion dipping sauce which added some flavor. The recipe comes together in about 10 to 12 minutes Just 3 stars, lacking enough flavor to stand on its own two feet.

Basic fried rice, but a little bland

Comments:

While the recipe calls for 4-ounces of Chinese sausages (lop cheong), I used 8-ounces of smoked ham.

Rating: 3-stars.
Cost: $7.
How much work? Low.
How big of a mess? Low/Medium.
Start time 6:30 PM. Last Batch at 7:00 PM.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

Make sure you have 6-cups of cold, white rice. This is best if you cook the night before.

Set frozen peas out to thaw for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce and soy sauce and set aside. If you are using Chinese sausage, cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. If using ham, cut into 1/2″ cubes. Also peel and mince your garlic. Thinly slice you scallions.

Pre-heat 1-1/2 teaspoons oil in a 12″ non-stick skillet over medium burner. Add eggs to skillet and cook for 20 seconds without stirring, then scramble for 2 more minute, ensuring that the eggs are in small pieces. The eggs should be just cooked through, but not browned. Empty egg into a small bowl.

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While comparing different recipes is a bit like comparing apples to oranges, this may be my favorite ATK recipe of all time. These dumplings are filled with flavor, are tender on the inside with have nice carmelization on their bottoms. The soy based sauce is a little predicable, but the saltiness is so traditional that I haven’t yet strayed from the original recipe. The base recipe is very straight-forward, only requiring a little bit of patience during the filling/sealing process. Be careful not to overfill them or they will close properly, but you can squeeze some of the excess out if necessary. The only logistical problem is that the batches take 20 minutes and yield between 12 to 14 dumplings, so unless you have two non-stick skillets they are difficult to make for a regular sit-down dinner for 4 people; coming and going from the table every 20 minutes to eat 3 dumplings. But worth the inconveniences, I absolute love them and give them a full 5-stars.

Perhaps my favorite ATK recipe

Comments / Issues:

My 12.5″ non-stick skillets (the Chris Kimball recommended T-Fal), makes 14 dumplings at a time, and based upon my wrappers I needed 3 batches. I froze on the batches for cooking next week; they cook the same way with no need to thaw.

I used to be able to buy round gyoza wrappers from my local supermarket. While I guess I may be able to find a local Asian market, in the meantime I am using frozen .

Be careful that the dumplings don’t stick to the sheet pan is step 3. Some of mine did, and I suggest a very light spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Sometimes I just use regular cabbage (rather than napa cabbage), especially around St. Patricks day because it tastes the same and is much cheaper.

Rating: 5-stars.
Cost: $9. For about 40 dumplings.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess? Medium.
Start time 4:00 PM. Last Batch at 7:00 PM.

Minced 1/2 head of napa cabbage leaves, add to a colander and toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Set over a bowl and allow to wilt for 20 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to press down to extract any excess moisture. Empty into a medium bowl, combine the remaining filling ingredients and mix until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).

When ready to assemble, work with 4 dumplings at a time to prevent the wrappers from drying out. Keep the remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap. fill, seal, and shape the dumplings using a generous 1 teaspoon of the chilled filling per dumpling

As you complete the dumplings, set the on a baking sheet and repeat step 2 until you have made all your dumplings. Once assembled you can refrigerate for up to 1 day, or freeze them for up to 1 month. (If frozen, do not thaw before cooking.)

Line a large plate with two layers of paper towels, which you will use after cooking. Make dipping sauce by combining all ingredients in small bowl, which will make about 3/4 cup.

Brush 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12″ cold non-stick skillet. Arrange 12 dumplings in the skillet with the flat side down, overlapping the tip as necessary. Put over medium-high burner and lightly brown dumplings for 5 minutes without moving.

Turn down burner to low, and add 1/2 cup of water and immediately cover. Cook for 10 minutes until the water becomes absorbed and the wrappers are slightly translucent. Uncover and turn up the burner to medium-high and cook (again without moving) for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottoms are well browned. Put dumplings onto paper-towel lined plate (browned-side down) and allow to briefly drain, before setting onto a serving platter.

Allow the skillet to cool until just warm and wipe out using paper towels. Repeat from step 5 with the next batch of 12 dumplings.

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I poured my heart into making my son a wonderful chocolate/coffee cookie-dough ice cream cake for his 15th birthday, but the regular cookie dough recipe turned much too hard when frozen. I have since experimented with a lot of different tricks and techniques, and am pleased to be able to offer some insight. I cut the flour down to 1 cup, and also tried to substitute liquids that remain softer when frozen; I omitted the egg whites, and used heavy cream which has less water. Also, I substituted vegetable oil in lieu of some butter to keep things soft. The butter that I did use, I browned to compensate for the substitution. The mini-chocolate chips also made the dough seem softer. The result is very good both in terms of texture and flavor. 4-stars, still a little room for refinements of the cookie dough.

Vanilla-bean, Cookie-Dough Ice cream cake

The problem with using regular cookie dough is that it is meant to withstand the high-heat of an oven and then served either warm or at room temperature. When frozen, it becomes rock hard.

Comment:

Be sure to use unsalted butter or the recipe will be too salty. If you must use salted butter, cut the salt down to 1/4 teaspoon.

I used many of Chris Kimball’s techniques found here, but adapted them for the freezer.

Melt the stick of butter in 10” skillet over medium-high burner for 2 minutes, and continue cooking butter for about 4 more minutes, swirling pan constantly, until the butter becomes dark golden brown and has nutty aroma. Empty browned butter to large heatproof bowl using a heatproof spatula. Stir 1/4 cup vegetable oil into hot butter.

Add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated.

Add egg yolk and heavy cream. Whisk for 30 seconds until the mixture becomes smooth with no sugar lumps remaining. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Prepare a large bowl of ice water; to be used as an ice bath after removing milk from stove-top. Place metal sheet pan in freezer.

Add milk, heavy cream, about half the sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), 1/3 cup corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a medium saucepan. Use a paring knife to cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, then use the back of the knife to scrape out vanilla seeds (caviar). Add both the caviar and the empty stalks to the saucepan.

Warm over medium burner for 5 minutes until the mixture reaches 160°; stir occasionally to ensure that the sugar completely dissolves. Temporarily remove pan from heat to prevent the milk from boiling.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, beat the yolks together with 1/4 cup sugar. Never let your yolks/sugar sit for more than a few minutes. Temper the yolks by whisking in 1/2 cup of the 160° milk/cream. Then whisk in a second 1/2 cup to further temper.

Add the milk/yolk mixture back in with the milk in the saucepan. Cook over medium burner until the mixture reaches 180°; stir constantly with heat-proof spatula. Cooking too long will scramble your eggs.

While the mixture heats up, wash your medium bowl and place it in ice batch.

When the mixture reaches 180°, immediately strain your mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into the medium bowl (discarding empty vanilla pods). The ice batch will allow the mixture to cool in about 30 minutes; stirring occasionally will help. Then place the bowl in freezer for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour to further reduce the temperature. The mixture will begin to freeze along the sides of the bowl, which you should scrape down to further reduce the temperature.

Add mix into the ice cream machine’s canister. Churn for 30 minutes, or per manufacturer’s instruction.

If making a cake, line your sheet pan with plastic wrap and lay ice cream in a roughly even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour. After an hour, use a rolling pin to work into an even layer. Freeze for at least 2 more hours before serving.

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This simple braised potato recipe yields soft and tender potatoes. The nice caramelization made me think that there would be a slight crunch, but after my first bite I remembered that they were braised. They were therefore just tender. But the flavor was nice, not just plain potatoes. The recipe calls for using small red potatoes measuring 1-1/2″ in diameter. But my supermarket was selling appropriately sized purple potatoes at half the price as red potatoes, so I went with purple. I haven’t had purple potatoes since my trip to Bolivia, which has the world’s most bountiful variety of tubers. 3-1/2 stars.

Put potatoes with their cut-side down into a single layer within a 12″ non-stick skillet. Add 2 cups water, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 whole, peeled garlic cloves, 3 sprigs of thyme, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Once it has reaches a simmer over medium-high burner, turn down to medium heat and simmer (covered) for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes just become tender.

Uncover and move garlic cloves to a cutting board using a slotted spoon, Throw away the thyme sprigs. Turn up burner to medium-high and vigorously simmer (occasionally swirling the pan) for another 15 to 20 minutes until the water evaporates (the butter will start to sizzle)

Meanwhile, once the garlic becomes cook enough to handle, mince it into a paste. Add to serving bowl, stirring in lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mince chives and set aside until the last step.

Continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes more, swirling pan, until the butter browns and the cut side of the potatoes becomes spotty brown. Remove to serving bowl. Stir in chives and toss until combined. Serve.